The secret is out--Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's new album is bold enough to roll in the fearsome waves of Makapu’u! Through moments of joy and terror, KSWDY guides the listener with a strong sense of community and the triumph of intention, of which is the marrow and life blood of this music.

"Rise and Rule (She Was Born in Honolulu)" is a song of tribute and celebration, and about the way living takes and takes without compromise – then gives back in ultimately generous fashion. It captures the essence of maternal love and the indomitable spirit of mothers who exemplify courage and resilience in the face of adversity. Over a serene guitar line flowing forth from the silence (and back again), the 'Prince' sings it with circumspect reserve and draws from a profound personal experience, letting the words sink in slowly and deeply.

Frequent collaborator and director of "Rise and Rule", Sai Selvarajan, spoke on the creation of the video: "It was an incredible honor to work on the music video to "Rise and Rule." The song is very raw, honest, defiant and ultimately triumphant. Being that the song was about Will's mother, I knew I had to honor her memory and her legacy and this beautiful song. Will asked me if I wanted to see these collages that his mother had made and if I thought we could incorporate them into the video. The emotions they triggered in me were so strong. I felt like I could build the music video with these collages and tell the story of the song with them. I tapped my long time collaborator Matthew Wohlrab to do the hand painted animations of Will. Since the collages were made by hand, I wanted every image in this video to be made by hand."

Watch the video for "Rise and Rule (She Was Born in Honolulu)" and catch Bonny at any of his upcoming tour dates below!

TOUR DATES

9/29/23 at Tubby's in Kingston, NY
10/1/23  Rialto Theatre  Pop Montreal  Quebec  Canada
10/2/23 at 3s Artspace in Portsmouth, NH#
10/3/23 at Greenwood Garden in Portland, ME#
10/17/23 at 191 Toole in Tuscon, AZ^
10/18/23 at Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ^ 
10/19/23 at Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff, AZ^   
10/20/23 at Fusion 708 in Albuquerque, NM^
10/21/23 at Taos Center for the Arts in Taos, NM^   
10/22/23 at San Miguel Chapel in Santa Fe, NM^
10/23/23 at San Miguel Chapel in Santa Fe, NM^
11/15/23 at Joe's Pub in New York, NY&     EARLY SHOW
11/15/23 at Joe's Pub in New York, NY&    LATE SHOW
11/16/23 at Joe's Pub in New York, NY&     EARLY SHOW
11/16/23 at Joe's Pub in New York, NY&    LATE SHOW
11/17/23 at Philadelphia Ethical Society in Philadelphia, PA& EARLY SHOW
11/17/23 at Philadelphia Ethical Society in Philadelphia, PA&      LATE SHOW
11/18/23 at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, DC&      

 

#with Bitchin Bajas
^with Laurel Premo
&with Jon Langford